Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the amazing Katie Masters. Katie writes in several genres including YA and fantasy, drinks too much tea, and is constantly trying to convince her cat he's not a dog. She lives in Southern California and stays indoors as much as possibly because she never tans, which works out well since it enables her to spend her time writing about all the places she can't live.

Tell us a little something about what you write, Katie: I write a little bit of everything except historicals and self-help books. I don't think you'd want my advice. I'm currently writing (in no particular order) a sci-fi, a paranormal romance, a Middle Grade sci-fi fantasy, and a fantasy book. And a graphic novel. Did I mention I write everything? When I write you can usually expect sarcasm and wit. Or at least wit. Oh god, I hope it comes out witty.

Interview Questions:Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?

Katie: The first book that made me cry was Tamora Pierce's Alanna series. I cried because it ended and I didn't want it to. Which I prefer over crying because a character died. Just saying.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Katie: It depends on the day! Some days it energizes me and I'll go all day and all night. Other days I'll write two lines, eat an entire bag of crackers with brie, and be exhausted just from those two lines.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Katie: You want honesty? I'd tell my younger self 'you're still going to feel like you're not a great writer, but you must be because your books got picked up. But you won't completely believe it. Also, you have a lot of really wonderful friends who know how to correctly spell your name. Good job!'

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Katie: If I'm being honest, it hasn't really. At least, not yet. I have come to realize however, that my procrastination knows no bounds, but that when I'm given a hard deadline for some reason I produce a lot of work very quickly. I wonder why....

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Katie: The best money I'm about to spend as a writer, is paying for an amazing illustrator to draw for my graphic novel I've written (or rather, am still writing).

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Katie: Oh man. Well, that'd have to be the time as a kid I once conned a bunch of little kids to give me their puddings in exchange for telling them a story I made up. The realization that I could get food for stories was a powerful motivator, and I made up a bunch of stories that month, let me tell you!

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Katie: Hands down, Mara, Daughter of the Nile. It is beautiful and amazing and if you haven't read it (and a lot of you haven't, because you're staring at me saying 'what the heck is that?'.) you really should!

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Katie: Caite, or as she's known in twitter, Paperfury, is my spirit animal. If you don't know who she is—oh wait, you do, because everyone knows her—then go look her up. I'm making your life better by doing this. You're welcome.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Katie: I have two (soon to be three) published novels (well, one's a novella). I have exactly four lifetimes worth of novels to write, and three years worth of half-finished books, currently. Think about that. Let that soak in. Four lifetimes.

Four.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Katie: To me it's being able to afford a place to live in southern California with a yard for my cat-dog, spending my days writing full time, being able to pay artists to make more comics, gushing over cosplayers who cosplay my characters, draw fanart, and write fanfic, and pretending like I'm in complete control of my life (haha) while I walk on set of one of my books that's being filmed for a TV series.

And never having to worry again about if I have enough money to buy more tea or a vintage teacup.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Katie: If I knew that answer to that question I'd be famous already. Probably.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Katie: This is tricky. It depends on the book. But I'm a research addict (just ask anyone I've ever talked to including the cop I met in the deli who I asked how much his gun weighed.) and to attempt a guess on how much research I've done for a particular book I would place it at at least three hundred hours of research. For my YA book, Brenna Morgan and the Iron Key, not only did I go to Ireland to the places I was including in the story (for authenticity), I also researched ancient Irish texts and poems and had friends translate Gaelic when I couldn't find the translations. To say my Irish friends were annoyed with me by the end of it is an understatement. I like to research history and cultures of anything and everything, as it eventually trickles down into my fantasy and even sci-fi books.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Katie: I say names out loud until it sounds right. Most of the time the names just come to me, fully formed and ready for use. Sometimes I smash two words together and see if it sounds right. I know, I'm lame.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Katie: The hardest scene for me to write was the ending of my sci-fi book, Beacons. But let's not speak of that. Let's let my publishing house think that I wrote the whole book effortlessly okay? It's our secret.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Katie: Continued inspiration. If I'm not inspired I can't write. I can't just 'power through' the feeling. And un-inspiration can happen at any point while I'm writing the book. In the beginning, in the middle, at the end. I'll suddenly just hit a block and bam, I could literally care less for the characters and I lose their voice. It's not quite writer's block—it's far worse. It's the loss of motivation to care. Thankfully it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can last months. Writing isn't easy, guys.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Katie: I mean....the first novel I wrote I wrote in a month and a half. I wrote my sci-fi (Beacons) in one month...and then it took a full year to write the last 30 pages because guess what? That's right, un-inspiration struck (but it was also coupled with writer's block for that particular story only. It was a double whammy and I hope never to experience it again).

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Katie: My favourite childhood book will always be the Alanna Series (or the 'Lioness Quartet' as it's officially called). It's the series that made me want to be a writer.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Katie: Listening to music, watching the history or national geographics channel, hanging with friends, eating ice cream, taking walks in nature....I find inspiration in the most random of times and places, it's almost impossible to say that one place inspires me.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Katie: You're going to hate me. It's okay, I get it. But here's my advice for those of you trying to get published (whether by traditional 'agent' means or digital presses): don't give up. So many people write whole novels and then don't submit them, or they submit them once and get rejected and never try again. Keep going. Also, please, please hire an editor or content editor to go through your manuscript. Yes, you have to pay them. Yes it's worth it. You're too close to your work (I know you think you're not. You are. Every writer is), and no matter what, you're going to miss things. Listen to fellow writers when they offer critiques (not baseless criticism that says 'I would write it this way'. Those are not your friends—or good writers), learn from your mistakes—and bad dialogue—and keep going. Seriously, don't give up. Keep persisting. Because for every ten thousand people that finish a story, one hundred people stick it out. Be one of those one hundred people.

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Katie; it's been a pleasure having you!

Stay tuned for another edition of Cheri's 20 Questions coming at you next Thursday.

Welcome to Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee today is the ever-talented Meg Bonney. When she is not writing books, she has a corporate day job, two awesome kiddos, and she writes TV reviews and recaps for PureFandom.com. She doesn't have a ton of down time, but when she does, she likes to bake and go for walks around the pond near her house.

Hi Meg! Please tell us a little something about what you write: I write YA and am starting to dabble in mystery! My first book, Everly was published in 2016 and it’s sequel will be out this fall. My current YA series is set in a fictional fantasy world, but there are some very relevant themes popping up in Book 2, so that has been fun!

Interview Questions:Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?

Meg: Charlotte’s Web. I was a sobbing mess after that one. I had no idea it was going to end that way and it broke my little heart.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Meg: I would say it depends on what part of the writing process I am in. Writing without deadline or expectation is 100% energizing. Editing is exhausting. And I found writing a sequel to be a little more on the exhausting side because there is less freedom when you have to stick to your own source material, but it was still really fun.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Meg: To use contractions! My day job is in the legal profession so I have a tendency to write everything out. That was something I had to go back and fix after I wrote Everly.

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Meg: I had more obligations for marketing so it was definitely an adjustment on my time. I had to find a balance so that I didn’t spend all of my time on marketing or all of it on writing. It has to be a good mix.

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Meg: I hired a freelance editor to take a look at my very first manuscript and give me some tips and pointers. I wasn’t ready to have my friends and family read it and I wanted an honest opinion.

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Meg: I think it was when I read Fahrenheit 451. It was a book I had to read in school, but it stuck with me for so long because of the message. In the book, they lived in a society that wanted to stop people from reading because (among other things), it encouraged so much independent thought. It really made me realize the power that books can have.

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Meg: I feel like all of the Fear Street novels by RL Stine get brushed off as kids books, but they are so good. He has a way of connecting them all in tiny ways even though they are one offs. It shows such great attention to detail and it was something I loved as a kid/teen and I am even more impressed by as an adult.

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Meg: The writers I work with at PureFandom.com call me a Unicorn, but I am not really sure why. If I had to pick for myself, I would say a cat that never sleeps.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Meg: I have way too many unfinished books and random chapters to count. I have one published book and another on the way. I am also working on a new mystery book idea.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Meg: I think it’s finding a fan base and connecting with readers. Getting published is great and all that, but if you don’t have that connection with your audience it just feels like you sending these stories into a giant void.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Meg: For me, it’s been twitter. I am trying to get more involved in my local market but it was a tough cookie to crack. I don’t actually have a book store in my town.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Meg: With my current series, I didn’t have to do a ton of research. I did look up some things on fighting and weapons, but with a fantasy world, I got to really craft it on my own.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Meg: I am not even sure how I came up with my main character names. I think they just sort of popped into my head. For most of the characters in the realm of Everly, I wanted them all to have elemental names or names that had meaning tied to nature. I didn’t want the names to be too out there, but I wanted them to feel a little different than the usual names in our world. My main character is Madison and it’s a name I have always liked. It’s just a strong name that can shorten to a cute nickname.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Meg: Absolutely. I think it’s fun as a reader to stumble across things like that so I try to do the same when I write. In Everly book 1, there are a few references to the TV show, Supernatural.

Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write?

Meg: It’s a scene in book 2, Rosewood Burning. Madison and Ara are underwater for a good amount of time. It’s not something a human could really do, so I did have to do some research to get the particulars about what reaction your body would have in that type of situation.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Meg: Nit picking. I have a terrible habit of going back and picking at scenes and rewriting. I actually just did it to Book 2.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Meg: I would say (without breaks) about 8 months.

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Meg: I loved the book The Hundred Dresseswhen I was a kid, but it was kind of sad. If we are going back to childhood, I would say any of the Bernstein Bear books.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Meg: Anytime I am listening to music. Music is always my creative trigger.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Meg: Don’t let your nerves stop you. It’s a crazy leap to let someone read your work because it’s like they are reading a little bit of your soul, but you should open yourself up. And always remember, you are your toughest critic. Be kind to yourself!

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Meg, and letting us get to know you better! It's been a pleasure having you!

Welcome to the second edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My interviewee is the hilarious and amazingly talented Matt Coleman. Welcome! Matt is a writer of crime novels and comedy. His debut mystery, Juggling Kittens, was named a Writer’s Bonebook to watch in January of 2017. Matt is a Crime Writers’ Association member, whose short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, ranging from snooty literary journals like apt to much cooler websites like Shotgun Honey. Prior to the release of his first novel, Matt was a staff writer for The City Life Supplement comedy podcast from 2011 to 2014. His second novel, Graffiti Creek, comes out in 2018 from Pandamoon Publishing. Matt currently lives in Arkansas with his two daughters.

Tell us a little something about what you write: I write mysteries and comedies. Sometimes I mix the two together. Sometimes not. I am a product of the American South, and most of my writing ties back to it in some way. Although my latest novel is a straightforward crime novel and my first to NOT be set in Arkansas, it still stemmed from my roots in a weird sort of way. I use mysteries and humor to process things that have happened to me and to those around me. In this case, I was processing some empathy by way of a crime novel.

Interview Questions:Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?

Matt: Wow. First book that made me cry, huh? Going right for it, then, I see. I feel like I am supposed to say Where the Red Fern Grows, but I’m a tough one to make cry. I can’t remember if that one did it or not. The first one I KNOW made me cry was The End, by Charlie Higson. It is the final book in a series of YA zombie novels. They are all really good, but not sad at all. The book made me cry because it was the last book I read to my oldest daughter. I read to her every night for far too long (she was fourteen when we stopped). My younger daughter had already sort of tired of it, but the oldest was holding on. That was the book when she finally called it. And I cried like a baby.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Matt: It exhausts me, to be honest. I feel emotionally drained after a day of writing. Now, to be clear, the ideas energize me. The feeling of completion energizes me. I think it was Dorothy Parker who said, “I don’t like writing. I like having written.” I can appreciate that statement. But I am most energized by the potential. The idea is everything to me. It drives me and becomes an obsession until I can get it down on paper.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Matt: Stop trying so hard. Don’t try to be different. Everyone’s already done that. Just allow yourself to lie back into what you love and do it. Write a book. Stop messing around with experimental forms and weird shit. Just write a damn book, for Christ’s sake. (I would yell at my younger writing self a lot.)

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Matt: I think it made me more efficient. I understand the process a little better now. And the validation of publishing gave me the confidence to write what I want to write.

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Matt: I’m going to say AutoCrit. It’s an online editing software, and I have sort of fallen in love with it. The monthly subscription is thirty bucks, I think. I sort of cheat and cancel anytime I don’t have anything written. But I have picked it back up each time I finish a first draft, and it is wonderful for self edits. It breaks down readability, word usage, active voice, and a ton of other wonderful shit. I have become a better writer because of the bad habits it has pointed out to me. I can’t say enough about it. Great, great product. (Hear that, AutoCrit? How about a free month, huh? Maybe two?)

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Matt: I remember writing a song in the eleventh grade based on The Scarlet Letter. We had some sort of assignment, which I cannot remember, and, for some reason, I decided to complete it in song form. I got up and sang it to the class and everything. I’m sure it was idiotic, but everyone howled with laughter. The teacher actually had me come back to sing it to the class during my senior year. I think it changed the way she gave the assignment. Something about the experience showed me I could make an impact with my writing, even if it was nothing more than a folk song about Hester Prynne.

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Matt: The Festival of Earthly Delights, by Matt Dojny. I loved it, and I don’t feel like it ever got much attention at all. And I’ve talked with Matt online some. Couldn’t find a nicer guy. I really wish he got the attention he deserves.

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Matt: Paul Lynde.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Matt: I have two published books (Juggling Kittens and Graffiti Creek). I have an unpublished book, which is the beginning of sort of a cozy mystery series starring a foul-mouthed, boozy, reluctant socialite with Sherlockian powers of observation and plans to turn her small town Junior League charity group into a drug ring. It’s a lot. But I sort of love writing it. I’m to the point where I don’t even care if it ever gets to print. I’m having a blast with it. My first book (unpublished, but first finished) was a young adult novel about a kid who tries to kill himself and fails, by falling into a bush … while dressed like a bush. In the process, he somehow manages to save a small child’s life and be seen by a group of towns members, including the press. So instead of dying, he becomes a local legend and a superhero. It was a little darkly comic for a young adult novel. You know. In hindsight.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Matt: Honestly, it looks like me being able to continue to publish books and have some people actually want to read them. I’m not big on awards or fortune and fame. I’m not saying I would turn any of it down, but it isn’t some sort of requirement for me to feel successful. I want to write. Period. As long as the business is giving me a venue to write, I’m happy. I hope to continue to work with my current publisher. I don’t mean this as a knock on self-published authors (I love self-published authors), but for me, I like being with a publisher.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Matt: That’s the million dollar question, right? I think the best way to market is to make meaningful connections in the world, which sounds lame, but it’s true, I think. The best pushes I’ve gotten have come from people I can now consider friends. I have connected with them in some sort of non-selfish way (not selfless, necessarily … just not in an effort to sell books … I chatted with them or found common ground or interviewed them or something). The writer community is non-competitive and always willing to help fellow writers. I think the missing link for indie writers is making the one big connection with indie book sellers. I know the connection exists, but I think it could be much, much stronger. I was in two indie bookstores in Chicago last week and while one had shelves full of indie titles, the other had mostly big publisher titles. There’s a missed opportunity for both parties there. The indie bookstore customer is exactly the type to welcome unheralded books. Let’s be honest, if I want a major title, I can get it from anywhere. Walmart probably has it. But if I’m in an indie bookstore, I expect to find something new. Something I haven’t seen or heard about.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Matt: I do it sporadically. It usually just pops up as I’m writing. And I am awful at going down rabbit holes. I will lose hours and full days researching something that started as simply trying to get a pop culture reference correct.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Matt: I have started to have a lot more fun with this than I used to. Many of them connect to people in my life. My alter ego in Juggling Kittensis named Ellis Mazer. Ellis was my grandmother’s maiden name. And Mazer was the last name of my favorite professor from college. It’s a name that actually means a lot to me on both accounts. Here lately, I’ve been pulling from Southern influences. Southern names are fun to me. My favorites lately have been Waverly St. Laurent and Macon Georgia Lee Jefferson, the Fourth.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Matt: I am starting to. So far, all the Easter Eggs have been only for people who know me. There are characters or moments from my life they will recognize. And they have had a lot of fun finding them. But now I am actually starting to work in call backs to other works, which is a lot of fun.

Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write?

Matt: I just wrote a little about this in a blog post, actually. My Ellis Mazer novels are pretty autobiographical. The mystery part is fiction, but his personal life is mine. Back in 2015 and 2016, I went through a separation and divorce. And last summer my ex-wife committed suicide. So it was a pretty tough stretch of time, personally. And for Ellis, he is going from a happy marriage to a point when cracks are beginning to show. When I got to the first scene where those cracks appear in the second Ellis Mazer novel, I couldn’t write it. Just couldn’t do it. I am just now going back to it and working my way through it. But it’s tough. Cathartic. But tough.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Matt: Self doubt. When I finish a book, I move right on to the next idea. And my ideas are pretty different … gritty Southern hillbilly noir and then an urban action-chase-crime novel and then a cozy mystery. They are different enough to always make me feel like the one I am working on is wonderful and the one I just finished is hot garbage. It takes a while for me to work my way back around to loving what I wrote as much as what I’m writing.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Matt: Once I get focused, I can usually finish one in about four or five months. I do need mental breaks, though, between projects. So two a year is the most I can do.

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Matt: Where the Wild Things Arealways and forever.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Matt: I catch the most feelings for an idea in the car. Music really gets me in the right headspace with an idea. Tonight, for example, I had been rolling an idea around for a while (months), but it wasn’t until “Guilty Party,” by The National came on in the car tonight when it all clicked. Something about the mood and feel of the song meshed with where I was trying to take an idea, and it all fell into place. I will probably start on it tomorrow.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Matt: My favorite advice continues to be “write a story only you can tell.” I love that. And I don’t take it to mean we can’t place ourselves in other lives, other lands, other times. I think we simply need to make the story so much our own that no one else could ever tell it the way we can.

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Matt; it's been a pleasure having you! Next month the wonderful Benny Sims will be joining us, so stay tuned!

Welcome to the first edition of Cheri's 20 Questions! My first interviewee is the amazingly talented Nola Nash. Originally from south Louisiana, Nola Nash now makes her home in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and three children. Growing up in Baton Rouge, she spent long hours onstage or backstage in the local community theaters, and writing stories that refused to leave her head any other way than to be put on paper. Her biggest inspiration was the city of New Orleans that gave her at an early age a love of the magic, mystery, and history. Nola has a Masters degree in education, which means when she isn’t writing, she’s teaching English and co-directing the school plays and musicals. She is also a certified Teacher Consultant for the Middle Tennessee Writing Project.

Tell us a little something about what you write: Historical paranormal mystery/suspense and a splash of historical romance.

Interview Questions:

Cheri:What is the first book that made you cry?Nola: To Kill a Mockingbirdand it still does to this day, even after having read it 5 times and teaching it for three years. It’s powerful and precious. Mrs. Dubose and Boo get me every single time.

Cheri: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Nola: It energizes me! Getting the stories that are swirling around in my head out and onto paper frees space for more ideas.

Cheri: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Nola: Keep reading all those huge literary classics. They will be your foundation as a writer.

Cheri: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Nola: I can’t wait to find that out!

Cheri: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Nola: Is it cliché to say the best money I ever spent as a writer is on books to read? Honestly, I write on my work laptop that I bring home (I don’t actually have one that I own) and use free Google apps, so I’m a pretty cheap writer!

Cheri: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Nola: When I was in kindergarten, I had the chance to be in a production of Macbeth. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I loved the language and rhythm of the lines. William Shakespeare captivated me as a theater kid first, and as a reader when I could finally read those word for myself. I was pulled in by the witches, which may have something to do with what I write today. Thanks for that one, Billy Shakes!

Cheri: What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Nola: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I absolutely love that book. It’s creative, weird, and witty. More people should read it if for no other reason than to get the joke on the dash of the Tesla they launched into space. On the in-dash screen of the car were the words: Don’t panic.

Cheri: As a writer, what would you say is your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Nola: A dragon. Which is weird because I don’t write dragon stories. I do, however, have a dragon tattoo because I say as a mother, teacher, and writer its my job to light the fire within.

Cheri: How many published, unpublished, and half-finished books do you have?

Nola: I have one accepted and in process for publication, another in as a submission, and a couple unfinished. One of those, I recently pulled out for an overhaul and will, hopefully, get that one finished soon.

Cheri: What does literary success look like to you?

Nola: This is a tough question for a southern girl raised to be self-deprecating. Part of me says, “I’ll feel successful when I can go to a bookstore or library and find my own book on the shelves.” The other part of me says, “Let’s put this story on the big screen!” It can be hard to reconcile the pragmatic with the outrageously optimistic.

Cheri: What do you feel is the best way to market your books?

Nola: I’m a social person who likes to get out there in the world. I think social media, interviews, and events are good ways for me to market my books because I like to meet folks and talk writing with them. When people can feel the energy you have about what you do, they want to be part of that! I’m not a “sales” kind of person, but I’m definitely a relationship person.

Cheri: What kind of research do you do, and how much time do you typically spend researching before beginning a new book?

Nola: TONS! I’ve always got books with sticky notes and highlighting all over them and a list of bookmarked websites as I write. Since I focus on historical fiction and my beloved New Orleans in particular, I want to do right by those places and times. It’s important to have the basis in fact so you can weave the fiction around it. I also write about mystical practices and I’m a believer in experience breeding good writing, so I go through those rituals and practices learning what they feel like, sound like, smell like, and what sensations or emotions they evoke. By experiencing those things, I can write more authentically about them and let my reader experience them too.

Cheri: How do you select the names for your characters?

Nola: It depends on what I’m writing. For books set in New Orleans, I tend to research names from that place and the era I’m working with to keep it authentic. Sometimes I make them up like the heroine in my first Pandamoon novel. Other names, especially for more modern characters, I gather from people I meet or know. I first name here, paired with a last name there…..The main character in the book in submission right now has the first name of a steakhouse waitress and the last name of a college admission counselor from a school my son applied to.

Cheri: Do you hide secrets (or Easter Eggs) in your books for people to find?

Nola: I wish I could say that I did. There are allusions to books that are special to me, but no Easter Eggs. I tend to get too carried away with the story I’m telling to do that. When I’m writing, it’s like I’m watching a movie in my head and writing as fast as I can to keep up with it. There’s no way I’d keep up with Easter Eggs, too!

Cheri: What was your hardest scene to write?

Nola: There was a scene where I had to kill a character I loved. I tried so hard to find a way to let her live, but it was best for the story that she didn’t. It was torturing me to do it, but the panic and pain in having to kill her in the story translated to the characters in the scene and it turned out to be exactly what the book needed.

Cheri: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Nola: Having to walk away in the middle of those moments where the words are rushing onto the page. I’m a wife, mom, and teacher and those things have schedules and needs that must be tended to. It doesn’t matter how powerful the inspiration may be, when the bell rings to start school, inspired writing takes a back burner. It’s especially difficult because you regret what could have come from those times if only you had the ability to give into them when they hit.

Cheri: How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

Nola: That depends on what’s happening in my life when I’m writing. Since I’m usually doing most of my focused writing around school breaks, it can take about a year to get one finished. Although, I started one last summer and it sort of took off. That one was finished in 8 months.

Cheri: What is your favourite childhood book?

Nola: My favorite book was P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother? My grandmother used to read this book to me in her high-pitched Mississippi drawl and I loved every minute of it every single time she read it. She must have read it hundreds of times over the years. Those memories are so vivid, even decades later. I can see the room, the lamp on the table, her on the edge of the bed, and smell the familiar smells of their house. The memory of that book brings back so much of the times spent with my grandparents.

Cheri: Where/when do you find yourself most inspired?

Nola: Well, this one is so easy. The French Quarter. Hands down. Period. Everything about it. The architecture, the history, the people, the spirit of the place. New Orleans has a soul. It lives and breathes. It reaches out to you, wraps it’s arms around you, and whispers stories of times and crimes gone by. I can’t explain the connection I have to that city other than it’s a part of who I am. One day, I’ll get back there to stay and be inspired all day every day.

Cheri: Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Nola: Write something. Write anything. And keep doing it. Learn from the process who you are and what speaks to you. Take the risks and play with words and ideas. No one has to see that part if you don’t want them to. You might be surprised what you can do when you let yourself cut loose.

Cheri: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Nola! It's been a pleasure having you. Next month the wonderful Matt Coleman will be joining us, so stay tuned!

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